1. With regard to the unit which mounts onto the roof, how long in length was the white overflow pipe & where did the pipe drain to? For example, was the pipe relatively short (approx 1m in length) and drained onto the roof tiles, or did the pipe run down the roof and drain into the gutter?

2. What date (Month & Year) was your home completed?

Many Thanks in advance,

Chorlton

Hi Chorlton, We are near lock up stage and our evap cooling has is the very short white overflow pipe(with 3 holes) that drains onto the roof tiles.

1. With regard to the unit which mounts onto the roof, how long in length was the white overflow pipe & where did the pipe drain to? For example, was the pipe relatively short (approx 1m in length) and drained onto the roof tiles, or did the pipe run down the roof and drain into the gutter?

2. What date (Month & Year) was your home completed?

Many Thanks in advance,

Chorlton

Hi Chorlton, We are near lock up stage and our evap cooling has is the very short white overflow pipe(with 3 holes) that drains onto the roof tiles.

My build update with PD ATM is going great. We are nearlybat lock up.Getting excited now. Can't wait for the house to be plastered so we can see how it really looks.Had electrical done last wk was very happy that it was 99% to plan. Am quite surprised at how smoothly it's going especially reading so many posts on issues. Hopefully our build continues to be an exciting journey. LolAnd lucky me has a gr8 SS that constantly communicates & is onto any issues.

We have our eye on the Drysdale 30 (it was a places home until a couple of weeks ago) we have gone as far as getting a quote to build but I need some advice from all you Porter Davis experts

I have two questions:

1. Roof tiles Vs colourbond. What's the average price difference and why is colourbond considered better?

2. Cooling. Refrigerated Vs evaporative, is evaporative effective or should I pay the extra $12999 and have refrigerated?

Thanks in advance for helping out a building noob

Hi cattycatcat,

The Drysdale is a nice design.

I can't help you with question 1 as we have roof tiles and didn't get a pricing for colourbond.

With your cooling, it's all up to preference. I personally don't like evap because i find it too humid. Also for it to work effectively, you need to have a window slightly open.

Evap was a part of the complete promo last year but we instead upgraded our heating unit to include refrigerated cooling. The pricing for this upgrade with 11 vents was just under $12.5k. Our house is 44sq from prestige range.

Not really knowing what model heating unit is in the Drysdale and how many outlets they have as standard, it's difficult to say whether that price is reasonable or not. I suggest finding out from your salesperson which unit is installed as standard. For a 30sq home it shouldn't be so high unless they have given you the price for the topend upgraded model?

We have our eye on the Drysdale 30 (it was a places home until a couple of weeks ago) we have gone as far as getting a quote to build but I need some advice from all you Porter Davis experts

I have two questions:

1. Roof tiles Vs colourbond. What's the average price difference and why is colourbond considered better?

2. Cooling. Refrigerated Vs evaporative, is evaporative effective or should I pay the extra $12999 and have refrigerated?

Thanks in advance for helping out a building noob

From memory a single story 33sq house was 4k for colourbond. Not sure about the cost for tile upgrades as I don't know if Optima has the same range as Prestige. We were about 3k to category 2 roof tiles and 7k to category 3. If the Drysdale 30 is a double story, it might be less.

With the cooling I would go for refrigerated for a double story and evaporative for a single story. It depends what you like. Evaporative is much more cost effective.

With the cooling I would go for refrigerated for a double story and evaporative for a single story. It depends what you like. Evaporative is much more cost effective.

+1

As others have stated Evap vs Refrigerated is a personal choice but one should definately consider the ongoing running costs as well as the upfront price difference.

Evap Cooling, IMO, works well in climates such as Melbourne. Once we get a few 40deg days in a row then evap does become less effective whereas Refrigerated will continue to operate. However, in reality how many times does this actually occur? Would be different if we were living in the northern states.

Also with Evap cooling there is some humidity in the air but I know a number of friends with evap cooling in their homes and they've never really noticed it too much.

Personally, when I weigh up the options including the environmental impact I'd stick with evaporative.

With the cooling I would go for refrigerated for a double story and evaporative for a single story. It depends what you like. Evaporative is much more cost effective.

+1

As others have stated Evap vs Refrigerated is a personal choice but one should definately consider the ongoing running costs as well as the upfront price difference.

Evap Cooling, IMO, works well in climates such as Melbourne. Once we get a few 40deg days in a row then evap does become less effective whereas Refrigerated will continue to operate. However, in reality how many times does this actually occur? Would be different if we were living in the northern states.

Also with Evap cooling there is some humidity in the air but I know a number of friends with evap cooling in their homes and they've never really noticed it too much.

Personally, when I weigh up the options including the environmental impact I'd stick with evaporative.

Last summer was the perfect example of why not to get an evap cooling system. There was so much humidity in the air that the evap cooling caused moister on the walls and titles, plus our summer does get 40 degree + days or weeks.

On the other hand when it in the 30 degrees evap works really well and purifies the air.

I do love that the cost of operating an evap, it’s so cheap to operate.

We have our eye on the Drysdale 30 (it was a places home until a couple of weeks ago) we have gone as far as getting a quote to build but I need some advice from all you Porter Davis experts

I have two questions:

1. Roof tiles Vs colourbond. What's the average price difference and why is colourbond considered better?

2. Cooling. Refrigerated Vs evaporative, is evaporative effective or should I pay the extra $12999 and have refrigerated?

Thanks in advance for helping out a building noob

Hi there cattycatcat, I agree with Mel, the Drysdale is great build – a nice big family home. I hope all the responses for your questions have been helpful to you. I’m sure your aware that the forum is a great place to ask or put some questions out there to members for some advice and suggestions, also know that you can ask any of our sales consultants and me as well and I’ll try assist were possible. Cheers, Ebony

Just to keep you all updated. We had a site meeting with NHI, our SS and his SS last week. They admitted that the plaster went on without their knowledge and before some rectifications were made. There was a bit of a tussle but they have now decided to fix everything according to the building code. Just to clarify, not everything on the independent inspector's report (because there were amended truss layouts and engineering along the way) but everything as per the building code. And manufacturer's recommendations are simply that. Recommendations. And PD do not have to comply. But I did request for a copy from their supplier to confirm (emailed that to you, Roshi).

I must say, our new SS is great! He seemed to be really taken aback by the state of things (he assumed that all was fine before it was plastered) and was willing to take down some of the plaster and confirm if rectifications has been done. When it was apparent it wasn't, he fought for us so that everything can be fixed according to the code.

We will be having another inspection by Kevin and a walk-through (hopefully this week) once the rectifications are done. Then hopefully, we can confidently move on and continue with the build. Am impressed with PD's conflict resolution so far... So far. Will keep you all updated when we have the next walk-through. =)

Thanks Ebony for your help!

Team PD

JPZ

Hi,I need some advice from everyone.We had a really rough start, mainly with administration problems. Anyways, thought that was behind us when the building started.We had a a pre-plaster inspection done and a walkthrough with our SS 2.5 weeks ago. The independent inspector brought up a long list of issues, some of which was un-rectified defects brought up in the frame stage report. The report was emailed to our SS 2 days later. Since then, we had been in contact with our SS, CSA and accounts (as we received the lock-up invoice) and informed them we will not pay till the defects are rectified and our independent inspector is satisfied after a re-inspection. We had a change in SS last week and I rang the new SS to arrange for a meet and greet on site. Imagine our shock when we got there on Friday and discovered the plasterers at work and the whole house has been plastered. We found out that the plastering had started on Thursday, despite the fact that nothing on the report has been fixed (we went in on Wed afternoon to have a look). The replacement floor joists was still sitting in the hallway (obviously not replaced). The SS called an immediate stop to the plastering and requested a meeting with his supervisor on site on Monday to discuss. I'm afraid that they will only take down and fix the major items in the report (if that) and leave the rest. I had requested on many occasions that I wanted a re-inspection before the plaster went up (3 times by email). Apparently the frame inspection by PD's inspector was only passed on the 3rd time and the SS is using that to say that the frame is ok (despite some issues being identifed by our independent inspector as being not rectified). We've also paid to upgrade the insulation and noticed many holes in the insulation (where things needed to be fixed), and a major rip in sisalation and now these were just plastered over. It would seem that we have no recourse as the defects has been covered up by the plastering. We recognise this to be an issue hence we wanted a re-inspection done prior to the plaster going up.What rights do I have? Can I request them to remove ALL the plaster and make sure EVERYTHING is fixed first? Can I then get a re-inspection done (like I had intended) to give me the peace of mind that everything is done properly?

Hi JPZ, I’m really disappointed to read your post and hear you’re experience. I can understand that you may not be sure of your rights, have you approached your Building Coordinator about the issue's you have? I’d also like to be able to help you, are you able to please send me a private message with your full name, lot number, your Building Coordinators full name and the best contact number for us to call you? Regards, Ebony

Has anybody had brick piers added in their alrfresco?I am at the quote stage, and have included a grand alfresco on the Montrose. The price I have been quoted is actually less than what was stated in the optional upgrades list I received. I don't need to have a slab put down for the alfresco I have been told, and I was told early on that the alfresco price just included timber piers. I am just wondering what it might cost for 3 brick piers?

Also, is it just me, would timber support piers going in to dirt concern anybody else? I mean we are going to get flooring done for it, and I was happy to hear we didn't have to have PD pour a slab for it.. but now I'm not sure!

We have our eye on the Drysdale 30 (it was a places home until a couple of weeks ago) we have gone as far as getting a quote to build but I need some advice from all you Porter Davis experts

I have two questions:

1. Roof tiles Vs colourbond. What's the average price difference and why is colourbond considered better?

2. Cooling. Refrigerated Vs evaporative, is evaporative effective or should I pay the extra $12999 and have refrigerated?

Thanks in advance for helping out a building noob

Hi cattycatcat,

I had a look at the floorplan, very nice. Sorry can't help with roof tiles vs colourbond we went with cat 2 roof tiles.

In regards to cooling, I have read a few of the responses. As you know it will be very expensive to run a refrigerated cooling system. Also do some homework on what the cost of service/repairs/parts replacement etc would be for a refridgerated unit vs evap unit. We went for evap for our 36 sq home (29 sq living). Note, alot of people do end up upgrading. We spent an extra $70K for upgrades. Believe me it adds up very quickly. Depending on your budget and if it starts to get too high why not do something like this. Looking at your floorplan if you decide to go for an evap unit (which is around $5K) and if it's included in the promo it's a bonus, why not also put in a split system on the living room wall and this will cover the kitchen, dining, and study areas and if you like put one also on the rumpus wall on the same side of the sliding door wall and this should cover rumpus and bedrooms by keeping the bedroom doors open so the cooling can go in there and use the split system on those really humid days and use the evap for all other times needed. Split systems range anywhere from $700 upwards depending on the size you require. If you are getting the evap as part of the promo the most you could pay for 2 splits systems is maybe around $3,000 give or take which is better than paying $12K - $15K plus the high cost of running the unit. Another idea, is put in ceiling fans in the bedrooms/living areas. I have ceiling fans in my bedrooms in my current home at the moment and they have helped alot during those hot nights. Sorry for rambling on, but just giving you ideas. In the end it's your decision. All the best in what you decide. Keep us posted.

Very good points and I agree do your homework and evaluate your needs. We us we are building a double storey, the second floor will get really hot and humid when the temp is only 30 degrees. Plus it impossible to install it post construction. If you are building a single storey house I would live in the house for a summer or two and then make a decision. If then you do decide on a refrigerated cooling system it would be much cheaper post handover (avoiding builder mark-ups).

That's what we are doing T. Evaporative was part of our promo, so we will see how we go for a summer or 2, rather than getting refrigerated straight away.

Friends of ours bought land 800m away and are building the churchill, they have the simplicity promo so no evaporative. They are getting refrigerated, we have already told them we will go there if it is too yuck LOL

BTW we recommended our friends build with PD which they now are. PD know this - we got nothing

Has anybody had brick piers added in their alrfresco?I am at the quote stage, and have included a grand alfresco on the Montrose. The price I have been quoted is actually less than what was stated in the optional upgrades list I received. I don't need to have a slab put down for the alfresco I have been told, and I was told early on that the alfresco price just included timber piers. I am just wondering what it might cost for 3 brick piers?

Also, is it just me, would timber support piers going in to dirt concern anybody else? I mean we are going to get flooring done for it, and I was happy to hear we didn't have to have PD pour a slab for it.. but now I'm not sure!

I wouldn't think the timber piers will just go into the ground. They'll dig out a little area and pour concrete and the piers will go onto (bolted) the concrete.

As for the other issue, timber piers look fine, but if budget allowed, I'd upgrade them to brick just for purely aesthetic reasons. They basically just brick around the timber pier anyway, so it can be done after handover if you have enough bricks left over. But I'd probably just get them to do it.